Tracked work vehicles, such as bulldozers, often include a pivot shaft rigidly coupled to the vehicle's chassis about which the track assemblies pivot to allow relative motion between the track assemblies and the chassis. For instance, each track assembly typically includes a pivot tube or pivot shaft housing rigidly coupled to the track frame that is configured to receive a portion of the pivot shaft to allow a pivot interface to be defined between the pivot shaft and the corresponding pivot shaft housing. To prevent excess wear and ensure desired component life, the pivot interface defined between the pivot shaft and the pivot shaft housing must be continuously lubricated.
Unfortunately, to date, lubrication systems have proven ineffective at properly lubricating such pivot interface and for allowing contaminated lubricant to be properly purged from the pivot shaft housing. Among other things, conventional lubrication systems often exhibit issues with directing lubricant along the entire axial length of the pivot interface. Moreover, when adding new lubricant or otherwise re-lubricating the pivot interface, conventional lubrication systems do not allow for the pre-existing lubricant to be evacuated from the pivot shaft housing in an effective and efficient manner.
Accordingly, an improved system for lubricating a pivot interface defined between adjacent components of a work vehicle, such as between a pivot shaft and a corresponding pivot shaft housing of a track assembly of the work vehicle, would be welcomed in the technology.